I am looking into purchasing a used BMW 3 series from 1995-2000 with anywhere from 75,000-150,000 miles. I just want to know what problems are common in these cars and how much i will expect to pay to in repairs. I hope to be able to do much of the work myself, but i have little mechanical experience.

Be careful, a lot of people don't respect these cars and just let them go, ie no maintenance. I'm paying for it now and I've got well over 3k into getting mine up to showroom quality. But on the plus side, a well maintained BMW will last a very long time.

The things I've replaced that are some what common: window motor, window switches, the interior tends to fall apart, then just regular maintenance. There's a book out called 101 projects for your e36, look into it.